Police in Nigeria say 15 people have been arrested following allegations of sexual assault at a community festival in the southern Delta state.
Videos circulated online showing young men openly attacking women who were on their own. The clips sparked widespread anger, leading to the hashtag #StopRapingWomen to trend on social media and renewed calls for accountability over gender-based violence.
Delta state police have rejected claims circulating online that the Alue-Do festival in Ozoro was a rape festival. Local spokesperson Bright Edafe told Channels TV that no formal report of rape had been made in connection with the festival.
The videos, taken during the Alue-Do fertility festival in the city of Ozoro, show groups of young men chasing, stripping, grabbing, and assaulting women in public spaces.
The police spokesman described the scenes as alarming, disgusting, and embarrassing and said they had arrested several suspects identified from the videos and transferred them to the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
Witnesses, activists, and residents report that women were warned not to go out during parts of the festival, raising concerns that sexual violence may have been tolerated under the cover of tradition.
Rights groups assert that the documented acts, including forced stripping and public humiliation, constitute serious gender-based violence under Nigerian law.
The King of Ozoro stated that suggestions the festival condones sexual assault are misinterpretations of traditional rites, while traditional leaders and the Delta state government emphasize that any acts of violence should be treated as criminal offenses.
Nigeria's First Lady Oluremi Tinubu condemned the alleged assaults, calling for thorough prosecution of offenders and underscoring that no culture justifies violations against women.
